Empty Sunny Days
by Divmeister general
Summary: Shinn, now living a civilian life, can't help but recall the old days, and old friends.


Sunny days aren't beautiful without a smile to match

Disclaimer: I own nothing except my words. All characters and places were the figment of someone else's imagination, and now a T.V. show.

Authors note: I had been thinking of writing fan fiction for a while, so I decided to give it a shot. Please review and let me know what you think. Consider this my test fic, the rubber duck in the bathtub that tests for sharks. This was originally meant to continue, but I liked that last sentence, so I just left it there. If you want me to keep on going, let me know and I'd be glad to. Also, any requests or ideas for fics are welcome, if you like the way I write.

He opened his eyes. Sunlight poured in through the gaps in the blinds, announcing yet another beautiful day on the colony. Shinn was tired of beautiful days. He missed the mornings when he could just turn over again and sleep, aided by the lullaby of falling rain. There hadn't been one of those for a while, ever since the end of the war. What was it now? Seven months? What was wrong with the weather, for Christ's sake?

He tossed the sheets off of himself and headed into the shower, hoping that the coffee would be ready by the time he got out, which it unfortunately never was. The hot water pounded at his back, easing his aching muscles. It wasn't all fun and games after the war; in fact they hardly even got a break. ZAFT was relentlessly rebuilding its army, despite Chairwoman Clyne's best efforts to abolish the military branch of PLANT. He would have to talk to her about it next chance he got; 17 year olds shouldn't have to train new recruits. He was a war hero for crying out loud, where did they get off having him tutor cadets? He moaned. They had promised a nice, relaxing job. Far away from any conflict, close to home, great pay, etc. They even had the balls to call it easy. Dealing with idiots wasn't easy. And "far away from conflict"? His cadets were walking conflicts. He had to remind them to take the safety off of their guns **before** trying to shoot them. Athha thought it was hilarious, and spent her free time watching his training lessons. '_At least someone is having fun_', Shinn thought grimly as he stepped out of the shower.

But today was a different day. Today was Saturday. That meant sleeping in, enjoying his coffee, and doing pretty much whatever the hell he wanted to. Last time, he had gone to help Kira and the Chairwoman, or Lacus, as she insisted he call her, with the orphans. It had been fun, and he had promised to return, but they had all left on a field trip someplace, and wouldn't return until the next day. And so, for the first time in quite a while, Shinn found himself devoid of anything to do. Had this concept been a physical object, it would have resembled a hammer, because when it struck Shinn, it felt just like one.

Living in an apartment was an enormous change from Shinn's previous experiences, having lived in barracks and crew quarters ever since he joined ZAFT. He was used to the noise, to having someone around all of the time. Even if his roommate was quiet, like Rey had been, it was still comforting to know someone was there aside from you. But without someone to interact with daily that had an IQ of over 70 (which effectively ruled out his cadets) life was just too quiet and boring for his liking.

"_I could curl up and die right now, and it would take weeks for people to notice…"_ He thought grimly as he toweled off. "_Living alone isn't quite my thing."_

He waited a couple of minutes for the coffee to brew. It was strong and hot, but it had ceased to take any noticeable effect on the perpetually red eyed boy. He could not, however, envision a morning without it. He had once gone through what Zala claimed were "coffee withdrawal symptoms" after his coffee had run out. It was not a nice day for him. Or for his cadets, really, but they had been particularly dumb that day. He could hardly deal with them without the bitter drug. It had become part of his everyday routine.

He missed the old days when he would go to sleep and wake up a thousand miles away. When he could sit down to eat with his old friends every morning. When he didn't have to worry about paying the utilities, keeping coffee in stock, or figuring out what to do with himself on the weekend. He missed the old days when he wasn't so much of a… well, of a civilian. He swirled the last of his coffee around sullenly. The day was nice, so the least he could do was go out for a walk.

He stepped out onto his steps, locked the door behind him and slipped into the flow of people on the sidewalk. With his head lowered and his hands in his pockets, he looked just like any other teenager. Except for the slight bulge at his hip from where his gun rested. ZAFT had insisted he keep and gun, and sadly enough, he agreed. Some people could hold a grudge. His loose t-shirt tugged at him in the breeze, and he paused to enjoy the air. Behind him, the people walked on mechanically, not even noticing the cool wind. To them, it was just another day. Oh sure, it was a day of peace, but what did that mean when they hadn't lived on the front line? That was another thing that always got Shinn. No one knew what he had been through; no one would offer a smile or a quick pat on the back. To them, he was just another kid with a serious face.

He slipped back into the stream. After a few turns, the flow lessened, and the noise gradually decreased. Avenues became alleys, and streets were narrow and winding. This was his favorite place, the back of the city. After one day getting lost there, it became one of his favorite haunts. Tall buildings towered overhead, blocking the sun, and the wind picked up considerably. It was grey and ominous, especially at night. He didn't mind though. In fact, he quite liked the dark shadow cast by the modern monoliths. It reminded him of the scale of things, and how insignificant he really was. After navigating through various streets, he was nearly at his location. If he hadn't known where it was in the first place, he would never have found it. He had only stumbled upon it by chance, the day he got lost.

It was a playground, right in the middle of the industrial district. It wasn't big at all, and boasted only of a swing set. So far, he hadn't seen anyone in it aside from himself. It had no lights, and it didn't look like anyone was taking care of it. It was a patch of green in a sea of grey. Grass grew all over, respectfully stopping at the sidewalk and making its way around the rosebush that sat in the middle of the playground, right next to the swings. The rosebush had never bloomed in the four months he had known about it. Today however, the red rose that had refused to flower had finally erupted into an explosion of red, an overwhelming, dark tone that reminded him far too much of blood.

In a flash, memories of the days when so many lives were wasted came upon him. When almost every day, someone died, ally or enemy. The only things that kept him sane were the memories of his family, and the helping hands of his friends; Zala, who had taught him that war was not a game, the ever so loyal Rey, who would always patiently listen, and of course Luna, who was would always cheerfully strike up a conversation with him.

Luna. He hadn't seen her for so long, ever since she got sent to earth, to one of the European ZAFT military bases. They had since closed all bases on earth, but he had heard nothing of her. He smiled bitterly. She probably was living with her parents and her sister, somewhere on a colony. Living a normal life, a life so much like the ones people lived all around him. She probably had a part time job someplace; she would maybe go to college and ace all of her classes. And all of her classmates would stare at her and wonder, "_Who is this girl? Where does she come from?"_ And none would know that behind her cheerful smile and red hair, was a girl who had seen death first hand, and had seen more than anyone should. In fact, the rose didn't remind him of blood at all; it reminded him of her, of her hair. It reminded him of-

"Your eyes" he heard someone whisper behind him.

He spun around quickly, not believing what he had just heard. But there she was, even more beautiful than he had last seen her; standing at the very edge of the playground, tentatively stepping inside. Clad in a grey sweater and her customary short skirt, only this time black, not pink, she was the definition of beauty. Her pale skin shone through the grey that surrounded her, and her hair fell across her shoulders, longer than before.

"Hey" he whispered hoarsely.

"Hey yourself" she retorted. Then she did something that he hadn't seen in a while. She smiled at him.

And without even realizing, a smile formed at his lips, the first one in quite some time.


End file.
